Good morning, Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! As I have mentioned before, I take skincare very seriously. I am not a huge fan of foundation or wearing a lot of make up in general. My daily make up consists of blush and bronzer, liner, mascara and lipstick. Though I do wear concealer and cover up on rare occasions, I don't love the way they feel on and definitely prefer to sport a clean face. Naturally, I take great care to insure my skin is in the best possible shape so that I can go make up free as much as possible. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you a little bit about my 5 skincare commandments.

1:Used once a week, a glycolic peel makes your skin look radiant and improves the texture and tone of your skin! As I have mentioned before, I haven't always been as diligent about using sun block as I should be. So in time, this complete and total disregard for sun block combined with my obsession with tanning, left a bit of sun damage on my cheeks and nose. Since I didn't want to wear foundation to cover up these sun spots, I decided to try a glycolic peel in order to erase the evidence of my sun worshiping ways. After trying a few different ones, I finally found StriVectin LABS 5-minute weekly glycolic peel. Reason why I like this one is because it contains the highest levels of glycolic and other AHA acids available for home use, it's gentle yet effective and it does a great job diminishing the look of not only sun spots but other skin imperfections as well. Super easy to use, I generally like to apply it in the evening after I wash my face. I start with Step 1 to detox the skin and prepare it for exfoliating acids. Next, I apply Step 2 to exfoliate the skin, shrink pores and minimize the appearance of sun spots and other skin imperfections.

2: Good skin starts from within! Every morning I start my day with a glass of water with lemon. At this point, I think everyone is well aware of the benefits of drinking water to keep your skin hydrated, but adding lemon helps to eliminate toxins from the body as well as prevent wrinkles and acne.

3: Green tea ice cubes revive your skin in minutes! I am sure we've all had those tired skin days. You know, those days when maybe we've stayed up a little too late the night before, or just had one of those exhausting, super busy days which left our skin feeling and looking a little blah! Well, here is my remedy to combat those skin blues:) Start by brewing some green tea ( I prefer to use fresh, loose tea as apposed to tea bags, to maximize benefits ), once the tea cools down, pour the tea into the ice tray and place in the freezer. Normally, it takes about 1.5 - 2 hours for ice cubes to freeze completely. To use, simply rub a green tea ice cube all over your face ( make sure your face is completely make up free ), paying special attention to the under eye area. Once you're done, allow your skin to dry naturally. I use this trick all the time and seriously, it always leaves my skin looking fresh and glowing!

4: Apricot Kernel Oil is the best moisturizer ever! I use it pretty much everywhere, from my hands and feet, to hair and of course face. I also find that it is one of the best ways to keep your lips naturally moisturized. Simply dab a little bit on your lips before you got to bed or in the morning, before you apply lipstick or lip gloss and you'll see, your lips will feel smooth for the rest of the day.

5: Honey and Aloe Vera mask gets your skin glowing! This mask is super easy to make, simply mix 1 table spoon of Aloe Vera gel and two table spoons of honey in a glass bowl. Apply a thick layer to your face and leave on for about 20 - 30 minutes. Next wash your face with warm water and once again allow it to dry naturally. I use this mask at least once a week, to prevent break outs and inflammation, replenish moisture and improve the texture and overall appearance of my skin.

So, these are my 5 skincare commandments. I hope you find these helpful! And of course as always, please feel free to email me with any questions!